Improvement in coffee, tea, and spice-cans



ltuted (Stam JAMES M. EARLE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 110,125, dated December 13, 1870.-

IMPROVEMENT IN COFFEE, TEA, AND SPICE-CANS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom, it 'may concern:

Be it known that l, J Ames M. EARLE, of Spring field, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improved i Coiee and Spice-Can; and I 'do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specilication and to the. letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l is a plan lview of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

My invention relates to' the construction-otl a can to contain colee, fea, or spices, to be used by groccrs in displaying such goods to customers. The cans now in use for that purpose are made with a'siugle hinged cover upon the top, and, near the side, and several such cans are usually set upon the counter, at the front side, so that it will bcconvenient for customers to open the cans from the front of the counter.

When the dealer desires-to weigh out goods from such cans he is obliged either to walk around 'to the front side of the counter, or to take the can out of its vplace, weigh out the goods, and then replace it.

.My invention is designed to obviate all this inconvenience and trouble.

'lhatothers skilled in the art may be able to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same.

In the drawing- A represents the body of the can, two sides of' which, ff, fig. 1.,:1re made Hat, andthe other two sides,l d, may be made either flat or curved, as desirable. -I prefer to make them curved, as shown in the drawing.

'lhe top has a straight at piece, c, extending entirely across from side to side, and attached thereto by soldering or otherwise; andthe top inclines down# ward cach way from the piece c; and hinged to this piece e, at c c, are the two covers cc a, so the can may be opened from either side by lifting one of the cov- CYS (l.

It is designed that the can shall be lettered upon both the sides l d, designating the name of the arti? cle it contains, whether coffee, tea, spice, or other article, and any number of the cans may be placed upon thecounter in a position withone of the curved sides d toward the front, and the opposite curved side d toward the back of the counter.

It is customary to place cans containing coffees, teas, &c.,close together' iu a row upon store-counters, and, when they are constructed as described, the customer may, from the front of the counter, examine the dit'- 4ferent goods in thecans by raising the front lid a,

knowing the kind or name of the article by the label upon the front. The shopkeeper can then easily weigh out the article, lifting the opposite lid a at the back side to take it out of the can.,

ly this construction vmuch time is saved inwaiting upon customers, and also much ot' the labor; and, it' the diterentarticles displayed in the cans are kept in bulk behind the counter, as is most'commo'nly the case, it is much easier to refill the empty cans through the back lid, and directly from the back side of the counter, instead of taking down or turning around the can having a single lid.

I do not claim a can having a single lid, as Iam aware that they have long been in use; but I am not aware that a can made as described has ever been made or used before my invention thereof. f

Having, therefore, described `my invent-ion,

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, -is- As a new article of manufacture, a ooiee or spicecan having the two lidsa a, hinged to the lpiece e, all constructed and arranged substant'ialljy7 as and for the purpose herein described.

JAMES M. EARLE Witnesses T. A. CURTIS, W. A. FULLER.v 

